Hunter Huss hosts IB Business Expo

Saturday

Nov 2, 2013 at 12:01 AMNov 2, 2013 at 3:55 PM

The big day had finally arrived for the 23 students in Hunter Huss High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Business and Management class and their teacher, Miriam Harvey. The IB Business Expo was held Oct. 24, in the gymnasium at the Gastonia school.

Sally Drennan | Hunter Huss High School

The big day had finally arrived for the 23 students in Hunter Huss High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Business and Management class and their teacher, Miriam Harvey. The IB Business Expo was held Oct. 24, in the gymnasium at the Gastonia school.

Earlier in the semester and as a part of their curriculum, students were grouped to create a business that had international ties. Students researched customs, food and dress in those foreign countries, in addition to using marketing skills to see what items they would sell at the expo. Nathaniel Stephenson, a senior, and his peers created the company Brain Freeze, which sold milkshakes. His company also chose to market their milkshakes in Switzerland because his research showed the quality of milkshakes sold there is inferior.

The entire Hunter Huss High School student body attended the expo, as well as Gaston County Schools central office personnel and parents of the students who participated in the expo. Those attending received “play” money at check-in to purchase “real” food from the Business and Management students. Some of those food items included local southern cooking, bakery treats such as scones and rice pudding, Latina food and pasta dishes. Soft drinks, lemonade and water were also sold. The immediate benefits for class members was the element of working together collaboratively and a challenge that was met was working with students who did not seem to have much in common. Creating a business helped dispel that problem.

“Everything was a huge success,” said Harvey. “This annual event has grown every year, and this year was very special because of the incorporation of the Foods teacher and her students. We were successful with all levels of students selling their products. Having visitors attend made the event even better.”

The event supported the International Baccalaureate philosophy by demonstrating a sense of internationalism as well as incorporating the learner profile characteristics of inquirers, thinkers and communicators by these students.

Sally Drennan is a teacher and International Baccalaureate Diploma and Middle Years Coordinator at Hunter Huss High School.